Imagine being awake in a nightmare and unable to escape. This is what sleep paralysis feels like. This phenomenon happens when the resumption of consciousness occurs while a state of complete muscle relaxation and loss of muscle tone of REM, rapid eye movement, is maintained.
Sleep paralysis often accompanies visual hallucinations, such as the presence of a dangerous person. During sleep paralysis, there is temporary paralysis caused by the brain being awake while the body is still in its muscle-paralyzing state of REM.
Hallucinations during this vary, but some include feeling a presence, hearing voices or noises, or feeling pressure on the body. Presences include intruders or even animals. The voices or noises people hear consist of the voices and footsteps of intruders. The pressures that people frequently feel are strangulation or a force on the chest.
Sleep paralysis is often harmless to everything but the mind. However, in rare cases, it can be a sign of an underlying sleep disorder. Mentally, it can be very draining due to the anxiety it is associated with and the paralysis. Sometimes, sleep paralysis can lead to PTSD and pathological worry if the episodes are frequent enough.
A few ways to possibly prevent sleep paralysis are to maintain a healthy sleep schedule and avoid stimulants before bed, such as caffeine or alcohol. You could also try different sleeping positions, such as sleeping on your side.
Sleep paralysis is more common in teens because of the higher consumption of these stimulants in this age range. It is also more common because of the issue of teenagers’ sleep schedules. Studies show that high school students show a higher occurrence of sleep paralysis due to their lack of sleep. So, most cases of recurring episodes are preventable by just creating a consistent and healthy schedule.